How Our Passion For Trees Came To Be
William James (Jim) Cortese, graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in Forestry, began Cortese Tree Specialists in 1977 with a 1969 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser Station Wagon, a hand saw and a pole pruner he purchased at a Sears Department Store. The company was capitalized with $380.00 he had saved up over the years from his childhood. The station wagon was quickly replaced with a small yellow Ford Courier truck and then to a green F-150 pickup truck with plywood sides. Wood chips had to be removed by hand.
The company continued to grow under the slogan “We Save Trees,” adding several trucks and expanding to up to 20 employees at peak times. Cortese has not only grown as a company but as an active participant in the community. Employees enjoy sharing their time and talents with many local events and organizations, including the Dogwood Arts Festival, Knoxville Tree Board, Habitat for Humanity, Knoxville Green, Rotary Club, Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, Knights of Columbus, Kiwanis, Lions Club, UT Arboretum Society, East TN Opera Company, and Muscular Dystrophy.
Cortese has always prided itself in professionalism and has been a long time member of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). We insist on being the best in tree care from our employees, which has led to Cortese Tree being one of the top residential and commercial tree service companies in Knoxville, Tennessee. Cortese was acquired by The Davey Tree Expert Company in 2014.
